Screen-door flytrap



Dec. 15, 1925.

H. E. MARTIN scnzzn nen FLYTRAP Filed Feb.

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Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED sr Afr Es '1,556,032 vparnur orties.

HUGH E. MARTIN, or MADiso'N, Wisconsin.

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Animation inea ibfqify 11, 19221; serial Nt.- 692,175.

To all whom; 'itmug/ conocida.'

Be it known that L HUGH E. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Madison, in the county ot' Dane and State offtvisconsin, have invented certain new and useful ll,mprovements in ScreenLD'o'o'r Flytfraps, of which the following is aspecification'. ,Y p l My invention relates to Hy traps adapted to secured to the outside of screen doors with the screen on the door forming* the back of the central por-tien ot the trap;- and the objects of my invention are, first, to so construct a trap entendida; across the door a distance down from `the top that the flies clawlilrgupwai'd on the ou'tsideot4 the screen will pass into the trap before meeting any obstruction t0 turn their course; second, to have the obstruction in the torni of a' ceiling, so as to compel Va change of direction towards the ends of the trap, and guide the iiies into and through conical walls leading into end compartments which are connected over the ceiling and covered by a roof, formin,` a gallery from one vend of the trap' to the ot 1er; third, to yhave one' end compartment closed at the outer end, and the other provided with a cap or door' adapted to be removed or opened when desired to remove dead fiies or cleanthe trap; fourth, to pib- Vide a conical entrance fromr the inside ot the scre'en door tothe trap so that flies may enter from that side also.

I att-ain these objects by the mechanisn: shown in the accompanying drawing in which 1, is rear elevation, a distance from both ends;

Fig. 2, is a transverse Vertical section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking from the center towards the end of the trap;

Fig. 3, is an inverted plan partly in section on line 3-3 Fig. 2;

Fig. fla is an inside elevation on a reduced r scale, .showing by arrows how iies pass into the trap and are guided by the ceiling into the. gallery;

Fig. 5. is a trout elevation oi the tra-p attached to a door (partly broken away) by special brackets;

Fig. 6, is a plan ot the special bracket:

Fig. 7, is a right side elevation of same;

Fig. 8, is a transverse vertical section through the trap at the center on line S-S of Fig. 4.

Figs. 5, 6 T and 8 are on a reduced scale.

Similar"v numerals vreifer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The trap is externally covered with wire screen eicfeptifng the bottom plate, which is of sheet metal and a large portion of the side nent to the screen door, which is designated compartment 1', andl extends approxiniiately one' third the length of the trap both Sides of the center strip 2 and from the bottom plate 3- to the ceiling wall and is partly 'closed at both ends by truncated cones 5 of wire screen which divide said compartmentl from the end compartments- G and' 7 atv thev two ends, and the compartments o and 7 are open to a gallery 8 extending from end to end between the ceiling wall 4 and the top ot the trap. The bottom plate 3 is constructed of sheet metal', with portions re! moved from the rear edge forming passageways 9 vthrough which the flies will pass when crawling upward on the loutside of the screen door,- the front edge of the plate is turned upward at 10 the entire length, and the rear edgealong the compartments 6 and 7 for making the bottom more rigid and soldering the outer casing of screen thereto. A metal band 11 is secured to one end of plate 3 and passes upthe sides and over the top of the trap tor securing the screen end thereto, and a similar but wider band 12 is disposedA at the other end forming the frame for door 13 through which dead flies may be removed, The cones 5 are soldered to bands 14 for support and to the bottom plate 3 and form the end partition walls to the compartment 1 and also passageways from 1 to the end compartments 6 and 7. A wire screen roofed partition 15 a distance torward of the passageways 9 is soldered to the bottom plate and extends from end to end of the compartment 1, and a similar but higher one 16 is soldered to the plate midway7 Jfrom 15 to the front of the trap.

Walls 17 at the ends of partition 15 pre vent flies from passing backward to theVJ passageways 9 when once within the entrance tothe cones 5. The trap complete is a rectangular cross section elongated screen wire tube, with closed ends and partly open side next to the screen door, and is secured to the door by special brackets 1S which are constructed of sheet metal with a front ange 1S, a bottom flange 19, an attaching plate 20 and end wall 21 with the center removed, these brackets are attached to the outside of a screen door by forcing the attaching plate 2O under the molding and next to the screen on the door, with the flange 19 at the bottom, and being made right and left to 'lorm in conjunction with the door, pockets adapted to receive and hold securely the ends of the trap, see Fig. 5. To secure the trap to a screen door, attach the brackets as above described and dispose the trap in the brackets with the bottom plate 3 resting on the flanges 19 and the open side of the trap next to the screen on the door, which will also bring the cone 22 secured to the center strip 2 into contact with the screen, which should be provided with a hole registering with the opening 23 in the said strip, thereby providing an entrance to the trap from the inside of thc door. The operation ot' the trap is as follows; liies as can be observed usually travel upward on a door or window, and with this trap installed as above explained, it will intercept their travel before they reach the top of the door, but through the entrances 9 in the bottom plate will not be stopped until they have entered the compartment 1 of the trap and are stopped by the ceiling wall Ll, then they will travel to the front oit the trap towards the light, see zigzag line Fig. 2, and in traveling either to the right or left they will arrive at the entrance to the cones 5, and should they go downward to the bottom plate 3 they will be prevented escape through the enr trances 9 by the Screen covered partitions 15 and 16 and again be guided along the same to the entrance to the cones 5. After passing through the cones are in one of the end compartments 6 or 7 and will exhaust their lives traveling from one to the other through the gallery 8, the mark thus A represents flies in different localities.

To remove dead liies from the trap; litt the trap upward out of the brackets 18 and hold it with the bottom plate 3 on top and lower the end with the door 13 towards the ground, when all dead flies will by a little jar of the trap slide downward to the door through which they may be removed. A lure of saccharine matter may be placed on top of and along the bottom plate 3 between partition 15 and the entrances 9 as at 24.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a flytrap removably located in brackets which are secured to the outside of a screen door by a portion of the brackets being forced between the screen and the binding molding of the door, the combination with the screen of the door oil a metal bottom plate with portions removed from the edge abutting the door screen, rectangular trames secured to the ends of the bottoml plate with light admitting closures for the frames, truncated tapering partitions located a distance inward from the ends and extending from the plate upward to a wire screen ceiling the width of the bottom plate, and eX- tending from one tapered partition to the other, covered partitions scoured longitudinally of the bottom plate terminating at the tapered partitions, a central strip of metal extending from the bottom plate to the ceiling wall, with an opening in same through which flies may pass from the inside of the door to the inside of the trap, wire screen covering the front, top, and back of the trap.l excepting that portion of the back between the bottom plate, screen ceiling, and the tapered partitions.

In testimony whereof I alx my signature.

HUGH E. MARTIN. 

